Futurelawyer

See Yourself As Your Clients See You.

Mobile lawyers and clients are doing more Zoom calls these days. We can connect "in person" without leaving our desks. But, as in all photography, the lighting is the thing. If you aren't properly lit, you are a shadow of your real self. Brighten up the room. Get a ring light. It sits on a little tripod and can be moved around to give flat, even lighting to your face. Under $20 for a decent one, and you are ready for prime time. Here are a before and after photo, and picture of the ring light.

Zoom Call With A Client Or Court? Put Your Best Face Forward.

Ring Light . Macro or close up and fashion photographers have long know the importance of light in photography. When you need to highlight the face or a small object, ring lights, which are round and surround the camera lens can give even, attractive lighting to any face. And, when, like the FutureLawyer, you have a face made for radio, you want all the help you can get. For $16, you can get a ring light that sits on a tripod and evenly lights your face during a court hearing or client conference on Zoom. What are you looking like on camera?

#WhyILiveInFlorida - Even Underwater, It Is Beautiful.

Live Underwater Reef In Miami, Florida. Execupundit lives in Arizona, which is beautiful everywhere above ground. Today, he links to a reason I love and live in Florida, which is beautiful both above and underwater. In both places, a temperate climate is more human friendly than the frozen tundra of the North. Why else would Tom Brady come to Florida? 

I Think I Am Turning Into My Parents.

Selfie Stick And Gimbal And Tripod. I used to laugh at people using selfie sticks in public. Talk about dorky. Talk about self involved. But, I suppose my gadget fascination outweighs my desire to look cool outdoors. Because, when I saw this combination selfie stick, gimbal, and tripod at Amazon, I had to have it. It is a marvel of tech that I will be carrying whenever I am out and about doing photography. No more sore muscles from extending my arms to take a photo of us in exotic locations. Of course, our exotic location days are over for now; but, someday, in a galaxy far, far away...

 

Lemon Is Not An Igor Fan.

Lemon doesn't like being stared at by Igor. 

#PoetryFriday - Living Life In One Dimension?

Are you living your life in a single dimension? Do shallow pursuits engage you often? Will you use your short time on the planet on superficial images of success? Your call.

PHOTOGRAPH

He looked closely at the photograph,
Image of his youth,
Filled with promise,
Overflowing with optimism.

Its single dimension
reminded him of another self.
The man in the photograph was
free to hope
free to wonder
free to grasp
looking for the future.

He remembered the photographer.
Prodding,
Annoying,
Motioning,
Jostling with the hangers on
and the wannabes.
Asking him to share his soul
whether or not he wanted it.

He took a photograph in his mind,
moved to a new decade.
He wondered whether the wisdom of age
would bring the photograph to life.

Did it look at him
and laugh?

Tamron 18-400 mm Super Zoom Lens - The Super Zoom For The Rest Of Us.

Yes, I am talking about you. Last week, I discussed my Tamron 28-300 Zoom lens, which is an all purpose small lens that is a traveler's dream. In the old days, I carried 25 pounds of camera equipment around, and it was exhausting. I was usually too tired to change lenses every 10 minutes, and sometimes, especially at Zoological Parks, would change from a wide angle lens to a medium telephoto to a long lens in the same location. My super zoom, a 600 mm behemoth that was two feet long and required a tripod, wasn't designed for a stroll through Zoo Tampa or Sunken Gardens. However, Tamron went the 28-300 one better, and last year I purchased the new Super Zoom 18-400 mm lens, which is a delight. In fact, it is the only lens I carry these days. It can shoot everything from wide angle to really long zoom shots with a twist of the barrel. It is light and fast, as long as you realize that there are always compromises in such lenses. Since I don't make poster sized prints much anymore, posting in the cloud on the Internet and in social media is without compromise at all. Check out this review of the lens. Oh, did I mention that the lens costs around $600? Comparable lenses for professionals cost thousands. This is the one for the rest of us.

Why I Only Need One Lens To Carry Around.

Yesterday, I talked about my Tamron 28-300mm variable zoom lens that allows for a wide range of shooting, and eliminates the need to carry around a lot of lenses. I have always wanted to travel light, and I tended to use my Smartphone camera more and more over the years. But, especially for zoo photography and travel photography, there will always be situations where a super zoom is necessary to get the shot, and, two years ago, I found the perfect lens. Compact, and easy to carry around, the Tamron went one better with the 18-400mm zoom, which doesn't give up much quality of image, and has an incredible range. It is now the only one I take with me. This review should clarify why.

 

If I Ever Get To Travel Again...I Am Taking A Tamron Variable Zoom Lens

Serious photography can be bulky, heavy and, well, serious. Modern SLRs of the digital variety are less heavy and bulky than their predecessors; but, they are still far less convenient than your Smartphone camera. For non Zoom situations, the phone camera can be fine, since most of us only use it to post photos on the Internet. But, the most versatile lenses are the variable zooms; and, the Tamron 28-300 mm lens checks the boxes for me. It will never match a $6,000 lens, of course; but, for $600, you get normal to super zoom length, a small, compact light body, and you can even go wide angle to super zoom with an 18-400 mm Tamron lens. I have both, and use the 28-300 for most applications, like zoo photography and walking around the neighborhood. Carrying the Canon T6 with the 28-300 mm lens mounted is hardly more cumbersome than carrying a smartphone around. Actually, I still take Smartphone photos when walking around Sunken Gardens or the Zoo, because they are immediately uploaded to the cloud via WiFi, and I have immediate access. The T6 requires me to stop for a few minutes, while I connect the camera to WiFi and upload the photos manually. I do this several times a day, because it gives me a running picture of the day's work. I can shift gears, if necessary, or, I can even retrace my steps if I missed something I want to explore in more detail. I really don't miss the days when I might shoot all day with a film camera, and come home to the darkroom, not knowing what I had until the slides or negatives had been developed. Yes, you can love the process of creating photographs in the darkroom; but, you can also grow to love the instant gratification of a digital camera and WiFi. Pick your poison.

YellowStone National Park

Have you visited a National Park recently? Wish I had been here when this happened, with my cameras.

What a sight, and what sounds! https://t.co/ViLu37LkHa

— Caspar Henderson (@casparhenderson) June 17, 2020